A grateful patient’s testimonial of compassionate heart care

Jim has many blessings in his life, but he never thought experiencing cardiac arrest would become one of them. 

On February 19, 2025, Jim was at the airport when he suddenly collapsed. 

Fortunately, a nurse was at baggage claim and rushed over to perform CPR until emergency medical services could arrive. Once stabilized, Jim was transported to Ascension St. Elizabeth.

Though his cardiac arrest came on suddenly, it was not a complete surprise to Jim who had been experiencing severe angina for months leading up to his collapse. He even had a heart catheterization scheduled for February 27 to finally get much needed answers about his health. 

Jim and his surgeon, Dr. Zenoun Abouzelam

He would have much rather walked into his catheterization appointment in a week’s time, but as Jim describes it, God had another plan for him. 

“My heart stopped five times. They didn't know if I would make it. They gave my family a 12 percent survival rate. Yet here I am today, completely healed with no limitations,” Jim said. “I have nothing but love for all the people involved. Everyone was a blessing. Everyone played their part. Everyone was there for a reason.”

From the nurse who performed CPR at the airport, to his surgeon Dr. Zenoun Abouzelam, to his encouraging cardiac rehabilitation team, everyone played a critical role in his timely, compassionate care. 

Though he is grateful for each person on his Ascension St. Elizabeth care team, one person’s support left a meaningful impression on his heart – Dr. Carrie Chapman. 

When Jim woke up at St. Elizabeth, he learned his heart ejection fraction — a measurement of how much blood your heart pumps out when it beats —  was too low to perform the much-needed bypass surgery. 

Thanks to the support and genuine care of Dr. Chapman, his numbers increased the very same day. 

“Dr. Chapman was on a mission. She was determined to help me raise my ejection fraction so that I could undergo bypass surgery the very next morning. Dr. Abouzelam’s schedule was full for the upcoming week, but Dr. Chapman knew that if we could push my ejection fraction back into the normal range, she could convince him to perform the surgery the next day,” Jim shared.

“She not only motivated me but actively pushed me, encouraging me to walk, climb steps and repeat the process again and again throughout the afternoon. 

Thanks to Dr. Chapman’s relentless passion, unwavering compassion and sheer determination, I was able to have the successful bypass surgery the next day!”

After surgery, Jim began his road to recovery, working with the cardiac rehabilitation team at Ascension St. Elizabeth to regain strength and movement. 

Today, Jim is overwhelmed with gratitude for every member of his care team who played a role in his healing and recovery:

“I want to give all the blessings to God, the cardiac team and all the praise to them for saving my life. I have nothing but love and respect for the whole Ascension team. God blessed me with a great team of amazing people.” 

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